Lake Forest District 67 announces release of five teachers

Pink slips part of annual 'force reduction' procedure that could lead to their return

April 29, 2013|By Michael Holtz, Tribune Reporter

Lake Forest School District 67 officials said a steady drop in enrollment has forced them to lay off five teachers at the end of the school year.

The district notified the five teachers in March as part of a process known as a reduction in force, or RIF.

It's a procedure school districts often undergo each spring as they consider enrollment and budget projections. The move leaves open the possibility of rehiring teachers as districts finalize figures during the summer.

"It feels early to know exactly how many teachers we'll need for late August," said Andy Henrikson, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. "Anything can happen. But we need to position ourselves to not be overstaffed."

Though finances are rarely a problem in District 67, Henrikson said, plummeting enrollment has emerged as a point of concern in recent years.

Jennifer Hermes, assistant superintendent of business services, said in an email that smaller kindergarten classes were to blame.

"I wish I could say for certain exactly the reason," Hermes wrote. "However, I would suspect it is multiple factors related to birthrates, economy and the local real estate market having an impact."

Data from the district shows that enrollment has declined 14 percent since peaking in the 2005-06 school year, from 2,258 students to 1,939. The district estimates it would drop another 6 percent, or 125 students, next year.

Henrikson said those numbers meant the district had to release eight teachers. But because three middle-school teachers opted to retire, it only had to lay off five from the elementary schools.

"It's our hope that we can recall some of the teachers," Henrikson said, adding the reduction in force measure "leaves us the flexibility to hire back."

As part of its process this year, district officials said they followed a new set of state guidelines that emphasize teaching evaluations over tenure. School officials and parents alike have praised the system as a way to better handle underperforming teachers.

But it has also drawn criticism from a group of parents who disagreed with District 67 officials' releasing of Linda Biondi, a third-grade teacher at Cherokee Elementary School.

"We're just here to put the board on notice — and the administration on notice — that the parent community continues to support this particular teacher and will continue to support this teacher in different arenas, including supporting her in legal action against the district, if necessary," said Lake Forest resident Maria O'Rourke at a school board meeting last week. "We just don't want the board to underestimate our resolve in this matter."

Henrikson said in a phone interview Monday that despite parents' concerns, the district's decision to release Biondi was "a done deal."

"We're following the law and, unfortunately, our hands our tied," he said. "If the board were to basically change their decision at this point, that would be going against state law."

Julia Wold, president of the District 67 board of education, reaffirmed Henrikson's comments. She said the board reviewed Biondi's evaluation and stood by its decision.